Mark Lockheart- saxes & clarinets
John Parricelli- guitars

This captivating new duo features ingenious UK Jazz legends Mark and John in an intimate setting exploring evocative melodies, soundscapes and grooves. Playing their own original material, as well as reinterpreting some of the modern jazz and pop repertoire, they promise a unique and characteristically fascinating evening of music.

As well as being long-time close friends, Mark and John have collaborated many times over the years, starting off in the 1980s with Loose Tubes, the wildly exuberant, viscerally thrilling and eclectic big band that became the first jazz orchestra to play at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as appearing on Wogan and Channel 4’s The Tube.

Since the demise of the Tubers, the somewhat telepathic John and Mark have collaborated many times including on John’s beautiful 2000 album Alba, Mark’s 2019 release Days On Earth and more recently Mark’s 2024 recording Smiling, which heavily features the multi-faceted guitar playing of John in a 13-strong band.

Between them they have worked with an extraordinary range of artists including Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Norma Winstone, Lee Konitz, Vince Mendoza, June Tabor, Andy Sheppard, Lars Danielsson, Colin Towns, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Ed Sheeren, Chrissie Hynde, Seal, Thomas Dolby and Radiohead.

Mark’s work as a member of experimental quintet Polar Bear helped to earn the band two Mercury Music Prize nominations as well as (for Held On The Tips Of Fingers) an inclusion in The Guardian’s list of 1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die. A unique stylist, and memorable composer for larger ensembles as well as small groups, he was chosen in 2010 as Jazz Musician of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Jazzwise said “From Loose Tubes to Polar Bear and beyond, Lockheart’s capacity to be ahead of the jazz curve is undeniable.”

A highly inventive soloist, John’s playing also has a flowing, delicate side, as heard on the ACT album Trio last year with bassist Danielsson and trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, Jazz Views declaring: “Parricelli’s guitar has a beautiful, clear tone, each note picked with deliberate precision” The first call for sessions across the board, incredibly versatile John counts performances on numerous film scores among his work, including Skyfall , Lord Of The Rings, Shakespeare In Love, Hunger Games and The Constant Gardener.

Mark’s sax playing and John’s guitar work are of the highest class, and the music is profound and moving” The Musician